I want to be able to live fully but not at the expense of others or the planet’s.J

I grew up in Southeast Asia. In the 70s, when typhoons struck Hong Kong, landslides brought with them the tin hut settlements. Jag växte upp i Sydostasien. The streets of Kathmandu were filled with beggars and children living in poor villages in the high mountains had to walk for hours to get to school. That contributed to my commitment to justice, and the wellbeing of people and planet.

From nature to biology rån natur till biologiI have always loved being in nature. It was rich, exciting and inviting in Asia. Jag har alltid älskat att vistas i naturen. At the same time, I saw how the forests were being cut down and replaced by palm oil plantations, how the coral reefs were destroyed by man’s greed. I think it contributed to my choosing to become a biologist at Stockholm University. My work has taken me around the globe. I have worked both for private companies and at different NGOs. My last position entailed working for an NGO, communicating the latest research results about our ecosystems, trying to spread and increase the general public’s knowledge about them and their importance for our societies and economies.

From kids/children to kids/childrens wear My first two children/kids were boys. When my third child – a daughter – was born, I was inundated with cute dresses and XX. I also inherited a lot of handmedowns from friends. After a while, it dawned on me that I mostly used the handmedowns. The new clothes were so pretty to look at and felt soft at first, but on the inside they often weren’t that soft. There were a lot of plastic labels, the seams felt itchy and there were irritating logos in the back.

From handmedowns to idea The washed out and inhertied clothes however, were so soft on the inside. And knowing that most of the worst chemicals had been washed out were the reasons why I more often than not chose the handmedowns first. The new clothes ended up on top of a handmeddown piece. That was when it hit me: why don’t we make new clothed for kids out of old clothes? out of this idea sprung three basic pillars/values:

3. Fairly madeIt was important that also the manufacturing would contrubute to something good. i found Livslust, a Swedish Foundation that then ran a vocational school for orphans and children from disenfrqnchiesd backgrounds. The students were rehabilitated and recieved a vocation – one of which was to become a seamstress. I had found the basis of what is now known as Stomrie Poodle! The school has been sold now, but Livslust’s sewing workshop still functions, employing adult seamstresses paying market based salaries. . Även tillverkningen skulle bidra till något gott. Jag hittade Livslust, en svensk stiftelse som då drev en yrkesskola för f d barnhemsbarn och andra från fattiga förhållanden i Lettland. Eleverna fick rehabilitering och en yrkesutbildning där de bland annat kunde utbilda sig till sömmerska. Jag hade funnit formen för det som idag heter Stormie Poodle! Idag finns inte skolan kvar, men i Livslusts syateljé arbetar än idag vuxna sömmerskor till marknadsmässiga löner med att tillverka våra produkter.